| Magnetic Tape Guidance | Magnetic sensors detect a tape or magnetic strip installed on the floor and guide the vehicle along a predefined route. | Usually suitable for fixed routes, with travel speeds commonly around 0.8–1.5 m/s depending on payload and safety settings. | Repetitive pallet, cart, and line-side material movement in stable warehouse or factory layouts. | Low installation complexity and cost, but route changes require physical tape modification and floor maintenance. |
| QR-Code or Floor-Marker Navigation | An onboard camera reads coded floor markers to determine position and trigger route instructions. | Provides repeatable point-to-point movement; accuracy commonly depends on marker spacing, lighting, and camera quality. | Production logistics, work-in-process transport, and structured warehouse routes. | Markers are inexpensive, but dirt, wear, glare, and poor lighting can affect recognition reliability. |
| Laser-Based SLAM | LiDAR scans surrounding structures while software simultaneously builds a map and estimates the vehicle’s position. | Supports flexible routing and dynamic obstacle avoidance; performance depends on map quality, LiDAR specification, and site conditions. | Mixed-traffic warehouses, distribution centers, and facilities where routes change frequently. | Higher software and integration requirements, but minimal physical infrastructure and better layout flexibility. |
| Reflector-Based Laser Navigation | A laser scanner measures distances to reflective targets installed around the facility to calculate position. | Offers repeatable positioning in mapped industrial environments when reflective targets remain visible and correctly installed. | Large factories, high-bay warehouses, and applications requiring stable localization. | Reliable in structured spaces, but installation planning and line-of-sight management are essential. |
| Natural-Feature Navigation | Cameras, LiDAR, or other sensors recognize existing walls, racks, columns, and landmarks without dedicated floor guides. | Suitable for flexible environments, provided the facility has sufficient stable visual or geometric features. | Facilities requiring rapid deployment, frequent reconfiguration, or minimal infrastructure changes. | Lighting, occlusion, reflective surfaces, and major layout changes must be assessed during site validation. |
| Payload Capacity | The maximum rated load the AGV can transport safely, including the carrier, pallet, rack, or handling fixture. | Common industrial categories range from approximately 100 kg to more than 5,000 kg; exact limits are model-specific. | Tugging, pallet transport, production-line feeding, and heavy-load warehouse operations. | Select capacity with a safety margin for uneven loads, acceleration, ramps, turning, and attachment weight. |
| Navigation Accuracy | Sensors and control software continuously estimate position and correct steering or motion to follow the planned path. | Typical system-level positioning may range from several millimeters to several centimeters, depending on technology and environment. | Rack approach, conveyor transfer, robotic handoff, and automated charging alignment. | Request measured accuracy under real operating conditions rather than relying only on laboratory specifications. |
| Obstacle Detection and Safety | Safety scanners, bumpers, emergency stops, speed control, and warning systems detect people or objects and reduce or stop motion. | Protective fields and stopping distances must be configured according to vehicle speed, payload, braking performance, and site risk assessment. | Shared human-machine workspaces, warehouses, factories, and logistics transfer areas. | Verify compliance with applicable machinery, electrical, and industrial mobile-robot safety requirements in the target market. |
| Fleet Management | A central software system assigns missions, controls traffic, manages priorities, monitors status, and coordinates charging. | Scalability varies by software architecture, network design, traffic rules, and the number of vehicles deployed. | Multi-vehicle warehouses, production networks, and facilities with several pickup and delivery points. | Evaluate dispatch logic, traffic deadlock handling, reporting, user permissions, cybersecurity, and API availability. |
| System Integration | The AGV exchanges missions and status information with warehouse, manufacturing, enterprise, conveyor, or robotic systems. | Common interfaces include REST APIs, industrial Ethernet, digital I/O, message brokers, and standardized fleet-management concepts. | Automated storage, conveyor lines, picking systems, assembly operations, and enterprise logistics workflows. | Confirm protocol documentation, data ownership, interface testing, remote support, and commissioning responsibilities. |
| Battery and Charging | The vehicle uses rechargeable batteries and may support manual, opportunity, automatic, or battery-swap charging. | Runtime commonly varies from several hours to a full shift, depending on payload, duty cycle, battery chemistry, and charging strategy. | Continuous production and warehouse operations requiring high vehicle availability. | Compare charging time, battery life, thermal management, replacement cost, energy consumption, and maintenance access. |
| Global Deployment Readiness | The solution is prepared for international installation through documentation, training, remote diagnostics, spare parts, and local service processes. | Readiness depends on target-country regulations, electrical requirements, language support, shipping arrangements, and service coverage. | Cross-border procurement, multinational manufacturing, and international warehouse projects. | Request compliance documents, acceptance criteria, warranty terms, spare-parts lead times, training plans, and escalation contacts. |
